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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26483374">More Like Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaxmims/pseuds/annaxmims'>annaxmims</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tumblr Prompts [102]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Dorks in Love, Fluff, Healing, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Past Drug Addiction, References to Depression, True Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:40:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>676</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26483374</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaxmims/pseuds/annaxmims</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr Prompt:<br/>Okay, so I have an idea that I want to send in and see written, but if you're not comfortable writing this that's completely fine. "Carlos and TK have been dating for a while and one (rare) night they're spending the night at TK's house. Carlos finds a pill bottle in his bathroom and confronts TK about it. He learns that it's not oxy, but Prozac. The two end up having a conversation about mental health." Again, only if you're comfortable. Thanks! :)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carlos Reyes/TK Strand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tumblr Prompts [102]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626286</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>152</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>More Like Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It wasn’t any of his business. He hadn’t been trying to snoop either. What TK kept in his bathroom cabinets wasn’t any of his concern and he trusted him. TK had sent him to look for band-aids after slicing his finger while helping Carlos make dinner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check the middle drawer,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Carlos had dug around in the middle drawer and come up with a box of band-aids along with a tube of Neosporin and a half-empty pill bottle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure what to make of it. He’d thought TK was managing his addiction well. They were coming up on two years since his last relapse. He put the pill bottle back and exited the bathroom with the band-aid and ointment so that he could patch TK up. He tried to forget about it. He tried hard. He kept up the talk about work, Mateo’s latest shenanigans, and Judd’s difficulties at finding a name for his baby as they ate. They goofed off and danced around the kitchen as usual while they did dishes. But he couldn’t shake the idea that something was wrong with TK.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they sat down on the couch to cuddle and watch TV before bed, he finally brought it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“TK,” he stopped stroking his hair and pulled away so he could look at him better. “I need to talk to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>TK sat up quickly, and Carlos could see the anxiety filling his body as he began tugging on the sleeves of his hoodie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. What about?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I found something when I was in the bathroom earlier. And I didn’t want to assume anything but I want you to honest with me, are you using again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No. Why would you think that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A pill bottle hidden in the bathroom looks a little suspicious baby. If you say you’re not using I believe you. I just want you to be honest with me. You know you don’t have to hide from me. No matter what it is, I want to help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pill bottle,” TK muttered to himself. “Wait a second.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>TK stood and walked down the hall to the bathroom. Carlos heard the lights flip on and his boyfriend start rummaging through the drawers. Moments later, TK returned holding the orange bottle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carlos I promise I’m not using again,” he turned it so he could see the label that read </span>
  <em>
    <span>Prozac</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “It’s an old bottle of my anti-depressants. The last time I went to the doctor I told him that I was having fewer symptoms and overall feeling more like myself. He cut back my dosage but told me to keep these and break them in half to wean myself off of them so I wouldn’t have any side effects from the lower dose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess reading the label would have been helpful huh?” Carlos laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe a little bit,” TK bumped his shoulder playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m happy you’re feeling better though, I really am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah me too. I had kinda forgotten what it feels like to be clear-headed. They help, but anti-depressants make the world look weird sometimes. I guess I had gotten used to it, I’ve been on them since I was seventeen, but it feels good to feel like myself again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m proud of you baby. And it makes me happy to see you this way, but you know if it starts getting bad again you know you can come to me and there’s no shame in needing these,” he shook the bottle for emphasis.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. Carlos, I think you’re a big part of why I’m so much happier. I know depression isn’t just feeling sad, but you make me happy. You take care of me and force me to take care of myself. You just make life better in general.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m happy to help,” Carlos laughed, pulling TK in for a kiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But next time, practice those elementary reading skills for me,” TK laughed. “I’ll even help you sound it out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh shut up.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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